Textile and like product



y 1943 o. FINLAYSON 2,319,312

' TEXTILE AND LIKE PRODUCT Filed Kay 21, 1941 Stretched a saponified cellulose acetate yarns b-FNLAYsoN :msamm rmxnrys Patented May 18, 1943 TEXTILE AND LIKE PRODUCT Donald Finlayson, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignor to Gelancse Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1941, Serial No. 394,437 In Great Britain June 19, 1940 9 Claims.

This invention relates to textile and like products and in particular to ropes and cordage such as are usually manufactured from flax, hemp, manila, sisal and the like.

According to the present invention, ropes comprise a cabled assembly of strands made from filaments of cellulose acetate or other cellulose.

ester that have been stretched, while under the influence of a softening agent, so as to increase their tensile strength. Preferably the cellulose ester "filaments have also been saponified after stretching so as to convert them into continuous filaments of reconstituted cellulose, and the filaments may, in addition, have been subjected to -a shrinking operation whereby their elongation, which may have been reduced by the stretching operation, is restored.

The continuous filaments from which the ropes I according to the present invention are made may be employed in the form of continuous filaments, or they may first be converted into staple lengths. The saponification or the shrinking and saponification may be carried out after the conversion of the filaments into fibre. Continuous filaments have the advantage. of not dependingfor their coherence upon a frictional relationship between them, and the product containing them may ac-. cordingly be preferable, as being of greater strength under direct tension. on the other hand, where the rope is to be used otherwise than under direct tension, e. g. by being knotted or by being drawn under tension round'curves of small radius, ropes made of staple lengths of cellulose acetate filament more readily accommo-' date themselves to the sharp curves involved; and have less tendency to fail under the uneven loading arising from such curves. The subjecting of the stretched cellulose ester materials before saponification to a shrinking operation has a similar efi'ect on the product, increasing its extension, and thereby reducing its susceptibility to uneven loading. Accordingly, this expedient may be employed alternatively or in addition to the naphthenate.

ous filaments. Since, however, the stretching of the bundles correspondingly reduces the twist, e. g. to 1 6, the use ofbundles containing a slight amount of twist before stretching-producesmaterial of but little twist and quite suitable for building into strands. A preliminary strand may be prepared by assembling a large number of'bundles simultaneously stretched and saponified.

For example, bundles of 6600-or 9600 denier-may beassembled in this way, and 4 or 3 of these bundles may be taken together to make a strand of 26,400 or 28,800 denier.

In the case of staple fibre, the use, of heavy singles yarns, e. g. 3 5, 7, or 10s cotton counts, is advantageous for the building up of the strands to weights corresponding, for example, to those above mentioned in connection with continuous filaments. r

The individual strands may be rtwisted together witha twist similar to or preferably less than that commonly employed in the manufacture of ropes of corresponding sizes. With strand weights 0f the order mentioned, a ply-twist of approxistrands. Regular laying assists in the redistribu-' tion of {the load between the several strands, and breaking loads of 2.5-2.9 grams/denier have been 'obtained'with ropes built as just described from stretched and saponified yarn, and of 2.0 grams/ denier from merely stretched yarns.

Sizing and oiling may be effected, e. g. after applying the closing twist. The size, e. g. starch, should be kept low in amount, e. g. 1% to avoid undue stiffness and roughness. Advantageously, however, the ropes may be treated with a preservative of the copper salt type, e. g. copper This may be applied in a suitable volatile solvent such as motor spirit, together, if desired with a textile lubricant, the solvent being removed by drying. Such a treatment raisesthe final strength to the order of 3.4 and 2.6 grams/denier of the stretched and strength of the individual heavy strands is retained in the final rope.

The accompanying drawing shows a 3-strand rope according .to the invention. Each of the strands l is built up of a large number of stretched and saponified cellulose acetate yarns 2 either continuous filament or staple fibre or a mixture of the two, these yarns being shown frayed out at the ends of the strands. In the case of continuous filament yarns little or no twist is employed and in the case of staple fibre yarns only sufflcient twist to provide cohesion. The strands i are individually twisted each in the same direction and to the same amount and are then assembled into the rope 3 by being given a closing twist of lesser amount in the opposite direction.

Having described my invention, what I desire strands made up of highly stretched, high tenacity discontinuous filaments having a basis of saponified cellulose acetate and a tenacity of at least 6 grams per denier.

4. Rope comprising a cabled assembly of strands built up from bundles of highly stretched high tenacity continuous filaments having a basis of a saponified organic ester of cellulose and a tenacity of at least 6 grams per denier, said bundles offilaments being substantially free from twist.

5. Rope comprising a cabled assembly of strands built up from bundles of highly stretched, high tenacity continuous filaments having a basis of saponified cellulose acetate and a tenacity of at least 6 grams per denier, said bundles of filaments being substantially free from twist.

6. Rope comprising a cabled assembly of.

strands built up from heavy singles yarns having a basis of highly stretched, high tenacity discontinuous filaments of a saponified organic ester of cellulose and a tenacity of at least 6 grams per denier.

7. Rope comprising a cabled assembly of strands built up from heavy singles yarns having a basis of highly stretched, high tenacity discontinuous filaments of saponified cellulose acetate and a tenacity of at least 6 grams per denier.

8. Rope comprising a cabled assembly of strands made up of highly stretched high tenacity filaments having a basis of a saponified orv 

